Neighbor Love and Diversity

Bible Text: Galatians 1:11-24

Theme: Jesus Loves the Ethnic Minority

Summary: We've been learning about Jesus' love for neighbors of all sorts, and how He disrupts our pride of intelligence or beauty or health or maturity with stories of love for the mentally or sexually broken, the physically ill, and the child. This week we examined Jesus' disruption of our pride in our race or ethnicity by confronting us with the reality that we have diverse neighbors who possess the same dignity that we ourselves have in Him. Paul was a Jewish man who encountered Jesus and was given a mission as apostle to the Gentiles. He loved his heritage and his people, but he also proclaimed the gospel as being of Christ, and not of any man or people (Gal. 1:12).

Intentional Family Activity:

1. Go to http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/muluken/index.htm and check out this story of a young girl from Ethiopia. If you click on "a day in the life," on each page you will see a snippet of her life, and there is a question for your child to answer that gives an opportunity for comparison. At the end, you can see ways that you are similar and ways you are different. Talk about how God made Muluken too, and Jesus came to save her just as he came for your family. Muluken speaks a different language, but God can understand her, because He speaks all languages!

2. Talk about your family's heritage. Where did your ancestors come from? Do you feel a sense of loyalty to that country/those countries? Do you feel patriotic to America as your home now? This seems right and good: Jesus loved His family and the Jewish people. However, He came to save the world (John 3:16). Of course the Jews are included in that, but they receive no greater measure of righteousness by virtue of the fact that they are Jews, just as we have no greater place in the kingdom of heaven because we are American. In fact, we wouldn't even be able to read the Bible unless someone first learned our language and translated it for us! It can be fun to talk as a family about where you came from and how that forms who you are. Use it also as a chance to highlight how there are many different family heritages in the world, and the amazing concept that Jesus came to save each of them equally.

3. Check out this website for some games that introduce kids to features of other cultures. These come from the PBS show Arthur. Here again you will have the opportunity to explore other cultures, but the piece missing from the website is the idea that Jesus loves all people equally, simply because they are human and it is humans He came to save. Have fun with the games and enjoy learning about other cultures, but don't miss the chance to supplement it with what this means about how we are to love people that are different than we are.

Moment by Moment Thoughts:

1. If you have older children, especially who are attending public school, by now they have probably discussed diversity in some manner in class. They may be learning concepts such as "ethnocentricity" or "xenophopia," and they are probably discussing the concept of tolerance in connection with these ideas. If so, here are some ways you might round out their thinking in light of exploring how Jesus' love stretches across differing ethnicities and cultures. Talk about how acceptance of people of other cultures is different than acceptance of their beliefs. While Jesus offered love equally to all persons, the ways this love played out was sometimes in the form of disruption of their misconceptions and folly. Therefore, consider that distinction and how you may use it to supplement what your child has learned, if applicable.

2. As you interact with neighbors, consider ways you can love them. Zack shared a story of receiving a half-finished container of candied apples from a neighbor and the blessing that was to our family. Maybe you don't have to invite the family over for a perfectly-cooked dinner in your perfectly clean house, but maybe it can be that your kids play outside and show love through sharing their toys. Maybe you take your leftover dessert together and learn about their family.